Twist-off safety device



Oct. 28, 1930. P. YUNGLIN G I 1,779,793

TWIST-OFF SAFETY DEVICE Filed May 29. 1929 INVENTOR. Fau/ way/M9 MW w NEYS.

Patented Oct. 28, 1930 e e imam, or m enesees-eeeleesme TWIST-OFF SAFEEEY 7 Application filed May 29, 1929. SeriaI No. 366,908. r

. This invention relates-to a device f 1leein :deepwell drilling and has for its primary object the provision of a device which-may be inserted in astriiig of drill pipe and will prevent its parting in the event'of a twistoff or break occurring. Other objects are the provision of a device of this character which is rugged and not subject to deteriora tion.

Twist-offs while drilling a well have been found to occur with greatest frequency within the first three oints (approximately sixty feet) of drill pipe, above the drill collar. r g V i tly erset lpe m tub 1 4 and t ten 1 .ceeie iieg to fre y ea e. th eugh it :Th

I Wells are frequently drilled through soft .or 3 caving formations and, due to natural caving and the erosion of the circulation fluid, have pockets and portions which are of much greater diameter than the normal size of hole. When a relatively short piece of pipe breaks r: ofi' under such conditions, it falls to one side of the hole, and makes a very diflicult fishing job, as it must be first caught, and then straightened up before it can be removed from the hole. This device is therefore intended to be used immediately above the drill collar although it may be placed anywhere else in the string deemed advisable.

A. preferred form of my invention by means of which I accomplish the aforementioned objects, as well as other objects, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is an axial section through my twistv 4 I W .s. ..V 1 OK; The SP e ebeet the eebl Within h t n -1 h -wit udeeihthepein oif safety device showing it placed in a string of drill pipe. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections taken on correspondingly numbered planes of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a section through a drilling well, showing the drill pipe and bit in operating position.

. Referring with more particularity to the drawing, the lower portion of the usual drill pipe is indicated by A and a drilling tool of' any desired type is indicated by B. My device, generally indicated by C serves to connect the drill pipe with the drilling tool,

and is made of a number of sections of pipe 8, connected by couplings 9, and connected to drill pipe A by a sub 11 at the top. A

irfg a housing for a steel -.cabl e-"1 5. Secured its 9 W n ripe i ti ns 14:, teal to tueerp r' ad e t bin 14. f e y e r p euP s hetei e e 1 a i g e e e bore; Ihreadedly secured to the -top sleeve i a s e 17, wi sqaer n a test he b .Ih tee li ies e ee i b i l2 su er e n mber et-pe eesee22 eerreeed nsrthi bore,"to' ermit circulation to pass. thnengh l eeeh Tli d illeelleiimf b i e 24 efli eeet the end f pip 8 m la y pr yiii w h 'lielee e eeetrel her eee eim -e 1 dat the le'we sl e e 25 Sleeve s threadly e i be ta -g. M. by. a ripe; eeep ling and h s a w r end, f nla ge d wee ie an 2 1 f ea- 5 is e negaee bud e 24 by pair ei mite. 27 e epeee 28afil ei'being ke ed 110 the lever Sleev bone-'29. est iir e t reesh thi slee e nd ha a conical seat atits lower end, adapted to here th e se 15' sp ead and rename in lower lee e; the ea a he e b ng l e e ewee e TlB-iif i se ed in the uppe en ef l e eebl'e whi ih, has bee; ieeeeeee an sp a a d the edge i fen ed, we inte th cable by screwing the cap 17 down ontothe .e eeye- T e eeb eW betig'hfiy an ee tween h eufi e e he here a d the e iee t e sit-6 5 The js e e ab ut ee ie of t e We ge s he? filled wi beb i we th e i e i ady fer u Th s ierete tiee o he sabl s im ermet as de erie et ea we'uld. be rapid if it was exposed to thefluid in hole, i g 5 and eeble and a e i ea ies 't mber are eemed l'Ql drill collar 12 of special form 1s secured at' i i i i the bottom, and is adapted to receive the drilllongitudinal moveinent by being secured to H ,so Ihe sieyiee may be a semb ed in a y w venlent manner and cable babb'ited the extend up through the bore in the top sub 11,

d this serving as a guide to steady it. There is no strain on either the housing or cable until pipe 8 twists oil or parts at some point. When this occurs,all partsbelow the break will cease to rotate, and no torsional strain can come on the housing as it is free to revolve in both the top sub and the drill collar. When the break occurs it is at once apparent to the driller who stops rotating and commences topull i the drill pipe. The portion below the break together with the housing remains on the bot tom and the drill pipe with top sub will rise until the top sub engages the bottom. of cap 17, when the cable 15 will serve to pull the remainder and the entire string may be'brought I out of the hole, the same as if unbroken.

Fig. 5 illustrates the conditionmentioned in the beginning of the specificatiom-in which the hole is considerably oversize, due to caving'or some other cause. If now a break 00- v curs at same point E without a twist-01f safety device in'use, the portion below the break will fall to one side of the hole as indicated at F, leading to a difficult fishing'job; If

within said housing to prevent corrosion of said cable, there being openings through said abutment members to allow fluid to pass into and out of said body. r

In witness that I claim the'foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day of'May,1929. 1

a a 1o YUNGLING.

the break were to occur at some point higher up, the possibility of the portion left in the I hole leanmg over is greatly reduced, is and-if could not lean over at all. jIThencethe desir- V ability of a place immediatel b e th drilL .W atI claim is I 1. A device ofthe character described comprising a tubular. body having abutment members secured to the ends thereof and a tie the break occurredinsidethe casing G, it

member including a tubular housing secured g ing.

againstlongitudinal movement and free to turnin one of said abutment members and arranged to 'coact with the other of said abutment members upon a severance ofsaid body and thereby allow a limited relativemove-v ment of said abutment members, said tie member including a cable disposed wholly within and anchored to the ends of said hous- 2. A device of the character described, com- I prising a tubular body, an abutment member secured at one end thereof and havinga bore,

a tiemeinber disposed within said body and passing through said bore and designed to t j slide freely therein, an 'abutmentmember secured to the other end of said body and havfing'a bore, said tie member being disposed in saidlastmentioned bore and secured therein against longitudinal movement and free to turn said tie member comprising a tubular Y I hers.

housing with sleeves attached to the ends thereof, a cable disposed therein and secured to said sleeves, and a shoulder on said housing adapted to engage one of said abutment mem- 3. A device of the character described comprising a tubular body, an abutment member secured at theupper end thereof and having a bore, a housing disposed Within Said body 

